Breakfast. The one wholesome, hearty meal to start your day and make everything right. Some people like it light. Some prefer it to be filling. Some enjoy a warm bowl of goodness that makes you feel fuzzy wuzzy. While others may love to indulge in something flavourful.
If you think bak kut teh is only reserved for dinner and suppers (especially after an alcoholic night out to keep you sober), think again. We share some great selections for breakfast that are sure to satisfy.
For comforting breakfast: Fried Porridge
We aren’t talking about plain, old, white congee here. We’re looking for a dish that’s filled with umami, wok hei (wok’s breath), and oh-so-gratifying.
Yes. And once you’ve had Klang fried porridge, plain porridge just won’t do anymore.
Rice porridge is slowly simmered in a broth, before being scooped out and fried in a wok to give you that wok hei that’s truly unbeatable. The porridge itself is already full of umami, coming from the dried cuttlefish and other fragrant ingredients that give it its flavours.
Klang fried porridge, while good in itself, is usually fried and served with other ingredients in various combinations, from sliced fish to fresh seafood, and slices of pork or chewy innards and offals. It’s definitely comfort food that’s elevated several notches. Wait, did anyone mention ‘comfort food’?
For a soupy breakfast: Herbal Bak Kut Teh
While the peppery Teochew style Bak Kut Teh may be more popular for breakfast in Singapore, we tell you that Klang-style herbal bak kut teh Singapore makes for an even more oomph-licious breakfast.
Seductively dark and aromatic, Klang’s herbal bak kut teh is indeed one-of-a-kind. A decidedly Hokkien version of the old traditional pork bone broth, it is simmered for long hours with a blend of herbs and spices to lend delicate flavours to every mouthful. This one is robust in terms of taste, but not overpoweringly herbal, so you don’t have to worry about it tasting like Chinese medicine.
It is also chock full of ingredients in every portion of herbal bak kut teh. Thick cuts of tender pork ribs are the star, accompanied by other sides, like beancurd skin, beancurd puff, and enoki mushrooms, cooked in the savoury herbal broth. It’s the herbal bak kut teh to wake up the senses!
For some light morning carbs: Fried Mee Sua
In need of some carbs to accompany good bak kut teh? Fried mee sua is a popular choice to go with the above, as well as many other street foods. Not so common here in Singapore (where we mostly get fried bee hoon or noodles), fried wheat vermicelli is great for soaking up the essence of the dishes (soup or gravy), and provides ample bite. Good fried mee sua should be springy yet light.
Insiders’ tips: Top the fried mee sua with crispy pork lard whenever it’s available. You know you’d want to! #guiltynotguilty
For a integrated brunch option: Dry Bak Kut Teh
‘Pork bone soup’ without soup? Yes! Dry Bak Kut Teh is a delicious umami bomb that’s born in Klang. Dry Bak Kut Teh usually comes with a lot of meat in a claypot. Pork ribs strips and chunks of pork belly are stir-fried in a herb-infused gravy, along with some dried cuttlefish and pieces of plantains (like brinjal or okra) that can soak up the goodness of the gravy.
The key to dry bak kut teh lies in its gravy. It is almost like a ‘Kung Pao’ sauce but decidedly cuts back on the dried chilli and chilli oil. Dried cuttlefish, with a whole lot of umami, is the hidden star of this dish, adding wonderful layers of flavour to it.
For some meat indulgence: Pork Trotters
Here are two dishes that are similar but different, and also contestable as to whether they are considered street food. Braised pork trotter and vinegar pork trotter.
Pork trotters are notoriously difficult to prepare, but if they are well-cooked, they are a heavenly treat. Braised pork trotters are stewed for hours in a pot of braise sauce, until the meat is fully infused and becomes fork-tender. Vinegar pork trotter is prepared in a similar way, except that the braising sauce contains a large volume of piquant vinegar.
These pork trotter dishes are loved by many, both for the meat and the gravy that’s perfect with rice or other carbs. You may deny that it’s a great option for breakfast. But indulging in them once and you’ll just keep wanting to return for more!
Breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Have them all at Feng Xiang!
Has the list of breakfast options here got you salivating? Well, here’s the good news. All the wonderful dishes mentioned are now available daily, for any time of the day, at Feng Xiang!
We’re just saying they make great treats for breakfast, but really, you can enjoy them any time of the day, any way you like, right at a Feng Xiang outlet near you.
All the dishes are prepared according to heritage recipes passed down through generations. You can easily and conveniently indulge in dry bak kut teh and herbal bak kut teh Singapore; six varieties of your new comfort food, fried porridge; and flavourful braised or vinegar pork trotters. And don’t forget the fried mee sua as well.
Make a trip to Feng Xiang today for all the ultimate comfort food offerings. Find us at:
- Fernvale Hawker Centre & CC (nearest MRT station: Sengkang)
- Food Republic @ BreadTalk iHQ (nearest MRT station: Tai Seng)
- Food Republic @ VivoCity (nearest MRT station: HarbourFront)
- Food Republic @ Parkway Parade (nearest MRT station: Dakota)
- Kopitiam @ AMK Hub (nearest MRT station: Ang Mo Kio)
- Kopitiam Food Hall @ JEM (nearest MRT station: Jurong East)
- Kopitiam @ Northpoint City (nearest MRT station: Yishun)
- Lau Pa Sat (nearest MRT station: Downtown)
- Senja Hawker Centre (nearest MRT station: Bukit Panjang)